The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ (RCOG) India Liaison Group (RILG) hosted a fund raising event on Saturday, 13th May at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. The RILG is a body of obstetricians, gynaecologists and trainees of Indian origin based in the UK. The event was uniquely conceptualised as a tribute to women of Indian cinema titled “The Silver Screen Divas”. This was the third fundraising event by RILG after the successful Gala Fund Raising Event last year. Till now, they have raised £7,300 from the previous two events plus £3,500 from Saturday’s event. The fund is used to extend help to maternal health in rural India as well as to run training and educational courses such as perineal repair courses and essential gynaecological service courses for healthcare workers in the impoverished regions in India.
The Chief Guests for the evening were Professor Lesley Regan (President, RCOG), and Dr. Aseem Vohra, Second Secretary (Public Diplomacy) at the High Commission of India. Dr. Vohra conveyed a special message to the members of RCOG on behalf of the Deputy High Commissioner of India, HE Shri Dinesh Patnaik, and said that they are proud to be able to extend any kind of assistance or guidance to the RCOG for its commendable work in India.
The show took the audience through decades of Hindi cinema in India since its inception. The event had music and dance performances by members from their group of doctors who are eminent in their fields and simultaneously have keen interest in performing arts. They were accompanied by professional singers as well as The 515 Crew’s music. Each decade’s music was dedicated to the most notable women of the silver screen – both on and off it. From Nargis to Nutan, from Wahida Rehman to Sharmila Tagore, from Asha Bhonsle and Lata Mangeshkar to Geeta Dutt, the show lit up the stage with lights, colours and extraordinary musical talent, while the audience enjoyed the nostalgia.
The performances were strung together by a storyline narrated by Ashwini Kinhikar (of Lyca Dil Se Radio fame) accompanied by Greg Ward. Noted classical singer Chiranjib Chakraborty held the audience with his classical renditions of popular Hindi film songs, ranging from the musical hits of 1970s to AR Rahman’s music in the film Bombay in 1995. The unique point of the show was that each song was sung on the stage with a live dance performance – bringing alive the magic of the yesteryears. It was conceived, conceptualised and scripted by Sharmishtha Guha and directed by her and noted musician Chiranjib Chakraborty.
